World Cup Betting - Soccer Odds

World Cup Betting News

Friday morning AEST marks the final day of Pool matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and will see all eight teams from Groups G and H play off for everything from consolation to progression and top spot. With the order of progression unlikely to change, Group G will feature…

World Cup Betting

As online betting reaches a new level now that the internet is so accessible, thousands of Aussie punters head online everyday to place a bet on soccer taking place around the world, and with the 2014 World Cup coming up; punters have a lot to be excited about. While most have come around to using the quick and convenient outlet of online bookies, many are not too familiar with the concept, but betting online is something that is so accessible to the average Aussie, that World Cup betting is the best place to get started.

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is by far the most popular international football competition in the world. The tournament is contested among the top tier men’s national teams that are currently affiliated with FIFA or the Federation Internationale de Football Association. The tournament obviously has quite a rich history within the world of football, having been contested every four years since 1930. However, there were a couple of times during World War II that the tournament was not held including 1942 and 1946.

The competition is hosted by a different nation or nations every four years and is currently contested by 32 national teams. The entire tournament lasts for over a month and is hosted by several different preselected venues. With the qualifying stages of competition held over the three years leading up to each World Cup, there is always more than enough action for Australians interested in World Cup betting online. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals there were approximately 715 million people watching the event, which stakes its claim as the most viewed sporting event worldwide and something that has no problems attracting a high number of Aussie punters. With the 2014 tournament right around the corner and the 2018 World Cup controversially set to be hosted by Qatar, this will definitely be the main topic of conversation among punters online for the months to come.

2014 FIFA World Cup

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Brazil, who will be hosting a World Cup for the second time in history after they hosted the 1950 World Cup (which they lost to Uruguay in the Grand Final). The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 12th and will wrap up on July 13th at the Maracana, Brazil’s largest stadium, which also hosted the 1950 World Cup Grand Final.

World Cup betting at the 2014 World Cup is expected to explode, with 2014 predicted to set the benchmark for sporting event punting volumes for many years to come. With qualifications well and truly over and most friendly matches finished with, all eyes are turned towards Brazil in excited anticipation of the World Cup kickoff on June 12th.

Brazil has invested millions of dollars and years of construction in order to ensure they are adequately prepared to host the World Cup. The world’s spotlight has been turned on their stadiums, with many questions surrounding the issue of readiness. Notable stadiums that will host 2014 World Cup matches (and their capacity) include:

Belo Horizonte (62,254)

Arena de Sao Paulo (65,807)

Estadio Castelao (64,846)

Estadio Nacional de Brasilia (68,009)

Estadio do Maracana (78,838)

Building such significant structures in such a short period can have tragic consequences, but fortunately worker deaths in Brazil have been relatively low, as opposed to Qatar, where safety standards are notoriously lax and worker abuse is a growing concern.

Not surprisingly, employee treatment affects the public’s perception of the world cup. Driving hundreds of worker’s to their deaths in order to build colossal structures reeks a little too much of Pharaohs and their pyramids. As such, the backlash against reports coming out of Qatar has led public sentiment to the point of boycotting the event. A similar thing has occurred in Brazil, where anger over education and health care underfunding has repeatedly erupted in response to the significant investment required to build stadiums and improve public infrastructure in anticipation of an inrush of tourists.

Brazil stands to make considerable money from the World Cup, as does FIFA. Ticket sales represent the most minor aspect of revenue raising, as the money spent by tourists on motels, merchandise, food and a variety of other things will inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the Brazilian economy.

Alongside this, an enormous worldwide industry will be operating constantly – World Cup betting. World Cup betting will be absolutely enormous for the 2014 World Cup, and judging by existing trends, it will be even more immense in 2018. World Cup betting is an opportunity to make money or lose hope – you can back your own team or back a favourite such as Brazil or Argentina. Do your research, follow your head (not your heart) and you could stand to make good money betting on the World Cup.

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